Feeding the Flames
by She-Who-Loves-HarryPotter
Summary: MY VERSION OF MOCKINGJAY. Im sure I'm not the only one who was a little more than disappointed with the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy. Here is an alternate ending, starting from the end of the second book! More chapters to come!


**I think we can all agree that Mockingjay was a little unsatisfying (for those of you that have read it). So I wrote this to provide an alternate ending for those of you who very much disliked Mockingjay. While Catching Fire and Hunger Games were among the best books I have ever read, Mockingjay fell FAR short.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Hunger Games series**

**Chapter 1**

The bark against my back is no rougher then yesterday, or the day before, or last week, or last year. It has a quality of sameness that invites me back to these trees. Placing my game bag and bow on the ground, I listen for the soft padding of game, but all I hear is the brisk autumn breeze in the changing leaves. I smile as I imagine them whispering to me, beckoning me to explore their histories.

Staring down at the ground, I watch as the wind stirs the grass. The whispering has grown louder, as if I was no longer imagining it. I glance up, perhaps expecting Gale, but instead being suprised by the presence of a mockingjay. I begin to wet my lips to whistle a tune, but something stops me. It's face. The mockingjay is perched on a nearby branch, it's head is that of a person I don't recognize. The whispering grows louder and more distinct as I realize with horror that more of the mutant mockingjay's are landing on the tree, weighing down it's branches. By now, I'm standing, ready to run, but hopelessly frozen, surrounded by unknown faces with bird-like bodies and eyes. My heart beats fast, pumping blood as icey as the beady eyes trained on me. With each stanza the song grew louder and more powerful.

_Katniss Katniss, mockingjay_

_Katniss Katniss, lead the way_

_Without you we won't live a day_

_Your our hope, our only way_

_Katniss Katniss can you deny_

_a nation, that for you, does cry_

_Right by that tree you lie_

_While we watch our children die_

_Katniss Katniss, mockingjay_

_Time does waste while you delay_

_We can't last another day_

_Without our savior, mockingjay_

_Katniss Katniss, here we stand_

_Begging you to take our hand_

_Together we'll renew this land_

_With Katniss Katniss at command_

The thousands of birds begin to flap their wings simultaneously in rhythm with their terrifying song. The galeful winds they created carried their eerie voices, hissing their song. I instinctively reach for my bow, but I find the ground where I left it bare. I flinch, raising my arms in response to the storm of beaks I knew would pierce my flesh in a matter of moments. The fear welled inside me as the sounds of hundreds of wings flapping grew faster and louder. I had never felt this helpless since the games, I could almost feel their presence. I felt the first beak on my right shoulder, and then on my left, "Katniss!" they continued, but the beaks were far less forceful then I had imagined, almost gentle.

"Katniss, it's okay. I'm here," It was Peeta with his hands on my shoulders, the sounds the birds made were no longer audible once I heard Peeta's voice. He gives me a reassuring shake.

"Peeta?" Me saying his name seemed to melt the fear from my face. But when I open my eyes, I don't see his eyes, I don't see him at all. I see Gale, leaning over my bed, my hospital bed, shaking me, and telling me to wake up.

"Katniss, are you all right?" Gale's voice is riddled with worry, but there seems to be another emotion lingering behind his concern.

"I'm fine," I pretend like I'm alright, but Gale knows me better than that, he knows something is up. "It was just a dream, what is going on? Where am I?" I asked.

Gale broke eye contact before he answered, "We are in District 13 hospital, they sedated you after you scratched Haymitch and they told you about Peeta, and after I told you about... about district 12." After he told me this he took my hand in an attempt to comfort me. Everything came rushing back, the Quarter Quells, the lightning, Haymitch promising to protect Peeta over me, him breaking that promise, and Gale telling me district twelve was gone. That last part echoed around inside my head for a while_, there is no district twelve. _

"Gale, what happened to district twelve, what happened to our home?" As I asked this, knots grew in the pit of my stomach.

"A man from thirteen came in a hovercraft, his name was Cypress. I was at your house with your mom and Prim watching the games, "Gale's voice caught on the word 'games', "Beetee had just told you all of his plan when the man from thirteen told us I had to get everyone I could into the woods and away from twelve. I convinced my family and your family to go down to the woods. After that I went down to the square to try to convince everyone else to join us. I only got to tell about 50 people before Romulus Thread shot me in the side," At this he pulled up his shirt and twisted his torso toward me to reveal a circular scar right above his hipbone. I raised my hand to feel the delicately smooth skin. Upon contact his eyes closed, I couldn't tell if it was due to relief or pain so I immediately retracted my hand. After a few moments of silence he continued, "Greasy Sue and a few more people from the Hob beat him, but I was hurt too badly. I joined the others in the woods, Prim helped me with my wound, but there were only about a hundred people. A few hover planes came to the forest, we thought we were all going to die, but they belonged to 13 who took everyone back to their district. Except they took me to the games to pick you up. As we were flying away, a few hover planes flew over twelve from the other direction and bombed it to smithereens..." His voice trailed off. The hob, the meadow, my house, it was all gone. Probably not even a scrap of wood left from our house. I thought about all the faces that I would never see again, old men, children, women, shop keepers...

A thought had occurred to me, "Who all did you tell to join you in the forest Gale?" I asked with conviction.

He looked to the left, "Erm, I told about 50 people, I don't remember everyone, who are you thinking of?" Even though he new exactly what I was referring to.

"Gale!" I said through gritted teeth, I was sure he knew who I was talking about. "Did you save them Gale?"

At this, Gale's head dropped. And I knew he hadn't saved them, I felt sick. _Imagine if it had been my family that was killed._ I thought back to when Prim was chosen to go to the hunger games. Before I volunteered for her I thought for a brief moment that I would never see her again. My stomach twisted, to know thatI would never see my mom or Prim again would be devastating, and when Peeta finds out he will also be devastated. _If Peeta finds out. _Peeta. It is my fault he is captured by the capitol, I promised to protect him, and I failed. He had saved me, and protected me in the first trip to the hunger games even thoughI didn't trust him and was willing to kill him to get home to my family. But I won't fail now. I propped my self up on one arm and forced myself out of my hospital bed yanking out all the tubes from my arm. _I'm going to save Peeta._

**Thats chapter 1! PLEASE leave reviews!**


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